Glen Farley has covered the Patriots for The Enterprise since the Raymond Berry regime.

Conference call with the coach and his coordinators

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By Glen Farley

Glen Farley has covered sports for The Enterprise since 1978. His time on the Patriots beat dates back to the final year of the Raymond Berry regime, 1989. You could say his roots lie in Foxboro. He once won an award for a piece he wrote on the sod
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Glen Farley has covered sports for The Enterprise since 1978. His time on the Patriots beat dates back to the final year of the Raymond Berry regime, 1989. You could say his roots lie in Foxboro. He once won an award for a piece he wrote on the sod at Gillette Stadium.

With thanks to the Patriots media relations department for transcribing the call:

PATRIOTS HEAD COACH BILL BELICHICK

CONFERENCE CALL

September 2, 2014

BB: We just really started on Miami yesterday but definitely grinding through on them today. Good football team, we had a lot of trouble with them up here last year and of course they beat us down there. So, we have an awful lot of respect for their team, coaching staff and competitiveness with which they play and have played us. We know we have our work cut out for us this week and opening day down there. We’re going to have to play a good, solid 60-minute football game in all three phases of the game. They do a good job, they have a very experienced coaching staff and they do a good job of attacking all the areas of your team – offense, defense, special teams. So, there are really a lot of things that you have to prepare for and be ready to handle.

Q: With offensive coordinator Bill Lazor coming over from Philadelphia is there any benefit to going back and watching what the Eagles did last year or is that not even on the radar screen?

BB: No, I’d say it’s definitely on the radar screen. That’s the type of thing you do in the offseason when you have a little bit of extra time. You see the schedule, you see who your opening games are with. That’s a good time to study things like that. I’d say it’s definitely on the radar.

Q: How has he managed to put his imprint on this offense?

BB: I would say that they look very similar to the way the Eagles look offensively; different than what Miami looked like last year. I’d say it’s quite substantial.

Q: Rob Gronkowski said he’s ready to play on Sunday and planning on playing. What have you and the training staff seen from him in practice that made you feel like this was a good time for him to go now?

BB: Well, I’m glad that Rob’s optimistic about his situation. We’ll go through the week of practice and take a look at everything, everybody and see where everybody is at and do what we feel like is best for the team. With all due respect to Rob, I’m glad he feels the way he does but in the end, we’ll have to make the decision that we feel is best for the team and we’ll do that as we go through the week.

Q: When a veteran player doesn’t play in the preseason, what are some of the biggest hurdles that they have to overcome when they do finally get on the field for regular season play?

BB: Even though players are experienced and so are coaches, when you start the preseason – in your example, a player hasn’t played in preseason, there’s still game speed and game situations and all the communication that goes on in the game, whether it’s on offense, defense or in the kicking game, that’s just different in practice. You have to be ready to handle that and work with your teammates in those conditions and that kind of timeframe and those type of game situations that change so fluidly. You can try to create some situations in practice but a lot of practice is done in segments because it’s more efficient that way – first down, second down, third down, punt team, kickoff return team. It’s hard to go from one of those to another in practice or you’d be out there all day in the time it takes it get it organized that quickly. But that’s not the way it is in a game. Your mind has to transfer situations and transfer them very quickly because every play takes on a new down and distance or possibly field position could be any of the three segments of the game. Players that aren’t in the game need to be able to have that time on the sideline to make adjustments and be ready to anticipate things that are going to happen the next series and all that. You don’t get good at those things with your teammates without being able to do them. It takes some time. Guys that don’t play have to make that ground up.

Q: How much did the preseason finale have an impact on the claim of Kelcy Quarles or did you have him on your radar before that game?

BB: There’s a decent amount of tape on Kelcy prior to our game but I think he played in the neighborhood of 30 plays, or something like that, against us. It was certainly a chance for us to get a closer evaluation and also see him against people that we know how good they are because they’re our players. Sometimes when you’re watching guys on film, you not only have to evaluate the player that you’re looking at but also the competition that he’s against. So we had a lot better handle on that. Yeah, I think that game was consistent with what it’s been from him. Again, for a young player it’s always good to have two or three games.

Q: What traits do you see from Kelcy Quarles and Bruce Gaston that make you want to take a stab at working closer with both those guys?

BB: It’s a position that we didn’t feel like we had a great deal of depth in. They’re young, they’re healthy, they’re big, they run well, they have good physical qualities, they have good mental makeup, they’ve been productive in preseason on other teams. So, some combination of all those things I guess.

Q: Does Ryan Tannehill represent more of a running threat than Nick Foles? Do you see that as an added dimension to what Bill Lazor will do with this offense?

BB: No question. Yeah, I’d say he’s a lot faster than Nick Foles. They haven’t run all that much. We’ll see how it is in the regular season. They haven’t run him all that much. Again, a lot of those plays, including Foles’ plays, instead of running with the quarterback, there’s some built-in screens and slip screens to wide receivers and things like that. So, that sort of replaces the quarterback keeping the ball on an option to a degree. I think that anytime you go up against an option offense, you can say, ‘Well, they don’t do this or they do that,’ but we all know that it’s based on the read of the defense. So, if the defense is taking away one thing, it doesn’t necessarily mean they won’t do it, it just means that the defense is lighter on another part of the play and that’s the play that offense has chosen to emphasize or feature based on the look. If you get a look that’s fairly consistent then a lot of times you see the same play over and over again and say, ‘OK, we’re going to stop that play,’ but as soon as you go to stop that one, then there are other parts of the option play that they see you have that stopped, they’re not even trying to go there. I think that he’s certainly capable of running. He’s kept it on us up here last year in the first game for, I don’t know, about a 15-yard gain or something like that. He’s a dangerous scrambling quarterback if the receivers are covered and the pass rush doesn’t have him contained. We’re very aware of him. He has excellent speed. He can run away from most defensive linemen and linebackers. So keeping leverage and containing him is going to be a big part of us being successful against the Dolphins. We’re going to have to do a good job with that. I’m sure if he has a chance to keep it, he’ll keep it. If we take that away, then he’ll do something else. You have to defend everything in option football.

Q: The September conditions in Miami are as daunting as any place can be, except for maybe Arizona. When you go into a game where you know the weather could be a big factor and could be a factor in terms of sapping energy and fatigue, do you acknowledge this with the players going in or do you not want to put it in their minds. If you do or have done some things, what did you try to concentrate on in July and August to get these guys ready for South Florida?

BB: First of all, the game has been on the schedule for quite a while so it’s no secret that we’re opening in Miami in September. Every player has been aware of that for months. We’ve had some hot days here at the beginning of the season. I think you can get a hot day pretty much anywhere. It really comes back to the conditioning of your team. Whether it’s hot or not, it’s the same for both teams and the player’s conditioning level and his ability to perform at a high level is going to be reflected later in the game based on his physical conditioning. I think you always want your team to be in good physical condition regardless of where the game is and certainly in the early part of the season or I would say in any dome game at any time of year. Those are obvious situations that are going to be challenging. They’re the same for both teams. We played down there opening night a couple years ago [2011], it was a night game but it was still a hot, humid night. I think that we’ve been down there every year. We know what it is. I think it will just come down to what kind of condition the team is in. that comes from the practices, the preseason games and the conditions that we’ve worked in. I think this week is a good week for the guys to at least get used to it. I would say, look, it’s always hard to play down there. They have a good football team. That’s the number one thing. It was hard to play them up here too. Personally, I would rather play in a warm climate at the beginning of the year than at the end of the year because at least we’ve been practicing in it. Likewise, when the teams come from the south in December and play up here, it’s probably a lot harder than coming up here and playing in October. In the end, we’re playing the Dolphins. I don’t think this game is going to be decided on the heat or the weather. Just like I don’t think the ones at the end of the year are decided by the cold. It’s a little bit of a factor in the game but we’re playing a good football team. If we play well, we’ll be competitive and we’ll have a chance. If we don’t play well, it won’t make a difference what the conditions are, we’ll be in a lot of trouble. That’s where most of the emphasis is going to be this week, and where it should be.

PATRIOTS OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR/QUARTERBACKS JOSH MCDANIELS

CONFERENCE CALL

September 2, 2014

PATRIOTS.COM AUDIO LINK

Q: The defensive front of the Dolphins stands out as a strength of the team. What do you see from them and their ability to create pressure?

JM: Yeah, it’s definitely a good defense, and I think their front definitely gives you a lot of cause for concern. They definitely created some negative situations for us last season. It’s a very active front. They do a good job of getting in gaps and creating penetration in the running game on early downs. They stunt and use their packages aggressively when they pressure. And those guys move, and it’s hard to get a beat on them when they do that too. And then you get into some of those longer yardage situations, whichever four of them are in there rushing the passer at the same time, everyone has got a difficult matchup because they can all be productive as pass rushers. We’re definitely going to have to do a good job of taking care of the line of scrimmage and eliminate those opportunities for them, but we know it’s going to be a great challenge for us on Sunday.

Q: When you and offensive line coach Dave DeGuglielmo figure out your starting linemen, how do you decide between the five guys that play well together versus the best five linemen?

JM: I think you have to consider everything. You always try to consider talent, [and] you want to consider chemistry, cohesiveness. And whether that’s the skill unit in the passing game, the offensive line working together in the running game or protection, the tight ends and tackles have to do a lot of working together. There are a lot of groups I would say that fall under the same category, and ultimately what we’re trying to do is find the most productive group. I think that a lot of times when there are a lot of people that have earned the right to continue to be considered in that conversation, then you keep playing them. We have a lot of competitive situations on our offense and on our offensive line, and if the best thing for us to do is play more than what we have in the lineup at the beginning of the game, then that’s what we should do because those guys have earned it. We’ve got a lot of guys who feel they can go in there and do the job. We have a lot of confidence in those guys up front, and we’re excited to continue to see it develop and play out. I’m sure, like every year, there are going to be some changes and different units in there at different times during the course of the season, but we’re no different from anybody else in that regard.

Q: How are you enjoying the Tim Wright experience so far?

JM: Tim, I was really impressed with last week. We just got him, and he was able to come in here and learn enough to be able to go out there and play for us in a preseason game for 40-some snaps or whatever it was. He’s working hard, certainly a bright kid and has some talent that hopefully we can utilize, and he just seems to fit in good and has a good attitude and work ethic. I’m just excited about seeing what we can do going forward. It’s very early, and we’ve only really had one practice. Hopefully we can build on his start and try to add a little here and there to what he knows of our offensive system and get our guys comfortable working together.

Q: I know you guys don’t like to talk about the weather, but how important will it be to measure tempo on Sunday with everybody sweating like pigs, given the conditions?

JM: Well, we’ll all be sweating like that, I’m sure. I know this, it’s probably not going to affect [us] once we get in the game and we begin to play the game. Ultimately we have to play the Dolphins and beat the Dolphins, and they’re going to be doing the same thing. We’re all going to be hot. We’re all going to play the guys that are active – maybe different numbers of plays per person depending on who may or may not need it the most. But that’s where those decisions at the end of the week, relative to the depth of your team and where you’re going to carry a little bit more or maybe a little less, that’s where those decisions will come in. And we’ll try to make the smartest decisions to give us the best chance to play well with the guys that we have active.

Q: What are your expectations for Rob Gronkowski? Are you just trying to keep it simple for him?

JM: Rob has been practicing, and we’ve been doing some different things, building our offensive system and packages as we go throughout the course of the year. He’s been a part of that. Whatever we can or are available to use him to do – however big, small, whatever the decision is at the end of the week – and he’ll be ready to do it. Going in there, we’re going to do what we think is the right thing to do to win the game this week and worry about going forward next week. I would think that would basically encompass the way we would try to use all our guys. I think ultimately at the beginning of the season, you’re trying to let your team go out there, be aggressive, play football and do something they know how to do. Rarely are you going to go out there and try to reinvent the wheel early in the season because there are always some unknowns that are going to come up opening day. Opening day is different than most other days of the year, and you’re going to have to make some in-game adjustments and other changes throughout the course of the day. We’re just going to go out there and try to put together a solid plan with all our guys and see if we can let our players play fast and aggressive.

Q: How can you expedite the process of learning the offense for a player like Tim Wright?

JM: You try to get him caught up in terms of the foundation of your terminology and those kinds of things. I know he’ll work really hard to do that; he has so far. And really when you start to get into this time of the year, the focus narrows down a little bit to what you’re going to do in the course of the game, so there’s not as much volume to consider for a new person that hasn’t had a lot of exposure in the system. We’ll try to do some of both and get him caught up in terms of what he hasn’t been subjected to yet and what he doesn’t know and also get him ready to perform his job, whatever that may be during the course of the game. That would be the way we would go with any player that comes in during the course of the season, which happens quite a few times. You’ve kind of got to cram both ends of the spectrum in at the same time.

Q: How much has James Develin evolved, and what are some things he can do now that he couldn’t do last year?

JM: James has been a very valuable player for our offense. [He] brings a tremendous element of toughness to our offense. [He’s] very intelligent, dependable, a guy that you can trust in a number of different roles. He backs us up in certain areas that he’s ready to perform each week, and he goes out there and does his job the right way most of the time when he’s out there. He’s continued to grow and learn the different things that we’ve asked of him. He’s very unselfish. He just wants to try to help the team in any way he can. His attitude is a tremendous positive for our group. He’s one of the hardest workers on our team and a very valuable guy for us to have in the room.

Q: Logan Mankins said there aren’t too many players that are on the rise of their careers after 150 games. I’m wondering what evidence you could provide to refute that for Tom Brady?

JM: I think that each player is different, and I think that I’ve been around enough of them over the course of many years to say there are some guys that never stop, that continue to try to find different ways to improve their game individually and then collectively help our team – in this case, it would be our offense. To me, each guy is different – the way they approach their job, how serious it is, how determined they are to get better, their commitment not only to keeping their body and mind fresh but getting better at their craft, doing those types of things. I don’t think there is an age where you can all of a sudden say, ‘Well, there it is. That’s the feeling; we’ll never go above that.’ Certainly with any of the guys that we’ve had here and coached here long into their careers, I haven’t seen that from any of them, including Logan or Tom.

PATRIOTS DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR MATT PATRICIA

CONFERENCE CALL

September 2, 2014

PATRIOTS.COM AUDIO LINK

Q: How different does this Dolphins offense look this year given the system they’re putting in?

MP: I think obviously you’re going to look at last year and try to get a great evaluation of the players that you’ve played against, obviously starting with the quarterback and the skill positions, where they have some returning players that we’ve obviously faced. Then you’re going to take a look at what] Bill Lazor has done with the new system as the new offensive coordinator and what they’ve run here in preseason and go back and try to trace that a little bit, the history and background of the offense, and try to figure out how it’s going to apply. Certainly, obviously what I think they’ve done a great job of this year through the preseason is the quarterback position, with Ryan Tannehill being able to control and run the offense and do a good job with the different looks and the different problems that they set up with this type of offense, and really trying to do a great job of being good decision makers as a quarterback and get the ball distributed to a lot of their skill players, obviously with [Mike] Wallace and [Brian] Hartline and [Brandon] Gibson, [Jarvis] Landry and [Rishard] Matthews at the receiver position. They have excellent talent out there along with [Charles] Clay at the tight end position, who is a very good skill player for them, a very multiple type player. And then through the preseason you get to see their other tight end, [Dion] Sims, and the different positions he’s kind of been in and moved around at. I think they’ve done a good job to implement the system that Coach Lazor has brought with him, and done a good job through the preseason of efficiently running that offense.

Q: Can you give us a thumbnail sketch of the two new defensive linemen, Kelcy Quarles and Bruce Gaston, and what their roles might be?

MP: Yeah, I mean, I think we’ll just – we’re trying to take a look at everybody and still trying to figure out what are the best positions. We’re obviously a defense that’s going to have people in a lot of different spots, so I think those two guys came in and worked hard the other day to try to get acclimated to the system. Obviously we’ll get another day here tomorrow to get a good look at them playing in our system. We’re just trying to take it day by day and just trying to get ready for Miami. I mean, that’s really our main focus and just get those guys caught up as soon as we can.

Q: From the outside it looks like over the course of the summer, you guys have had a few guys who were classified more as cornerbacks – Kyle Arrington and Alfonzo Dennard – playing more of a safety-type role. Is that out of necessity? Versatility? Where does that thought process come from?

MP: Well, I think in general with all of our defensive backs, they can be in multiple different positions or multiple different looks. They’re kind of – everybody’s in a particular situation where you might have to be a linebacker, be a safety, be a corner, be an inside player, nickel back, whatever it is, so they’ve just got to be ready to be multiple in those different positions and adjust to whatever particular look we’re getting from the offense. So I would say it’s more just being multiple different players and positions and being able to adjust based on what we’re seeing.

Q: In looking at the history of the coordinator and his tendencies, and specifically with Bill Lazor, do you go back to his tendencies in college in terms of his play calls and what he goes to in certain situations? And how in depth, if at all, do you get into what he did previously?

MP: I think you’re going to do the best job you can of going back through and checking the history of the offense and the system and obviously the play caller. A good time, obviously, during the offseason to get a chance to look at some of that information and just really look at all the different avenues and explore all the different possibilities. As the first game of the year goes, you’re trying to make sure you’re prepared to handle a lot of different situations and you want to make sure you’re trying to look at all the different avenues. Certainly we’re looking at different things. Obviously the Philly system, which he came from last year, and just trying to really focus on how they’ve implemented it through this preseason.

Q: Based on what you’ve seen from Ryan Tannehill so far, do you see a quicker decision maker and someone getting rid of the football more promptly?

MP: I definitely would say that you can say with the quarterback position in general, I think they’re trying to do a great job and they’ve done a great job of making quick decisions, getting the ball distributed, getting it out, the accuracy increase as far as the passing game is concerned, so they’re definitely spreading the ball around with good, smart, accurate passing games and concepts and it has definitely benefited the quarterbacks in a positive way.

Q: Going off the question earlier about using multiple different guys in different spots in the defensive backfield. What would be the benefit to the team and you guys as a coaching staff to having one player play at that safety spot next to Devin McCourty on a pretty consistent basis – one guy to leave out there in most situations? What would be the advantages to that?

MP: I think what you want to do when you’re taking a look at the defense in general, is you want to make sure you’re not stuck in one particular situation. We’re trying to make sure that, with teams that tend to either go at a hurry up or quicker pace, teams that tend to get you in some substitution matchups where maybe you can’t get into the most idealistic situation, that everybody out on the field is prepared and ready to go in those other particular spots. I think that’s really what we’re trying to do: make sure everybody understands the concept. We want to teach it from a conceptual standpoint and be able to plug in wherever we see need fit, based on whatever the particular week brings. I think again, it’s great with Miami’s offense and the system that we’re running there, it’s an offense that’s up tempo, fast paced, and they’re trying to get the defense out on the field and run as many plays as they possibly can, mixing in obviously a very strong run game, so you’ve just got to be prepared to be out on the field and play football.